The ending of The Dark Knight Rises. Yes, we’re still talking about this. The final few scenes of Christopher Nolan‘s massive hit certainly suggested one specific narrative interpretation but also left themselves open to others. Why doesn’t John Blake use the name Robin? Does Bruce Wayne survive? Did Alfred actually see him in Italy? Does Blake become Batman? All valid questions and while the filmmakers and actors have mostly chosen to not acknowledge them, co-writer Jonathan Nolan finally offered his thoughts while at New York Comic-Con. But don’t expect definitive answers. Watch the video after the jump.

If you can’t watch the video, the basic gist is he won’t say if Alfred actually sees Bruce in Italy. Instead, he tells a story of how he, his brother and others all disagree about the ending of Memento. He’s suggesting that the open-ended nature of the ending was deliberate.

Next, Nolan is asked about the use of the name “Robin,” and actually says that, yes, it was a nod to the fans and the Batman history, which was the popular opinion about the stray line of dialogue.

So if you take those two answers and string together their subtext, you basically have all your answers. 1. They like alternate options. 2. The obvious, suggested interpretation is the one they intended. You can apply that to everything in the movie.